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Bomb threat alleged vs. Liberty Bell
An Arizona man was charged Sunday in connection with a threat to blow up the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia on Saturday morning, Philly.com reported.
The suspect was identified as Carlos J. Balsas, 41, of Tempe, Ariz.
According to Philly.com, the suspect had declined a request to have his backpacks searched on the premises of the Liberty Bell Center, telling security officers, "I have explosives in there." He then walked away.
(Also on POLITICO: Nationals add fifth presidential mascot)
The suspect was apprehended by U.S. Park Rangers after a brief struggle; his backpacks were found nearby. No explosives were found in those backpacks, Philly.com said.
The State Press, Arizona State's daily newspaper, reported that Balsas "taught urban planning classes at ASU from 2005 until 2011 but is not currently employed by the university."
One of America's enduring symbols, the Liberty Bell has been located in Philadelphia since the 1750s and cracked irreparably almost as long. It is housed on Independence Mall near Philadelphia's Independence Hall, the homes of Ben Franklin and Betsy Ross, and other historic sites.
For many years, visitors to the Liberty Bell's various homes were allowed, even encouraged, to touch the iconic object. In April 2001, it was damaged by a hammer-wielding man from Nebraska. Those dents were subsequently repaired, and security at the site was increased.

subset: commoncrawl


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guest post: Peach & Rosemary Summer Fizz
Hi! I'm Jennifer Young, lifestyle photographer and blogger at I ART U.
I'm honored to be here filling in for Jenn while she's away enjoying NYC!
Summer is officially here! It's a season filled with such beautiful fruit and I always look forward to baking pies, crisps, or concocting colorful drinks for dinner parties. This peach and rosemary summer fizz is so easy to make and it's perfect for a hot day when you're in need of something cold, sweet, and refreshing.
+ 5 peaches, pitted
+ 2 T lime juice
+ 1 can lemon-lime soda
+ rosemary simple syrup (recipe here)
+ rosemary sprigs for garnish
+ 2 cups ice
Blend four peaches with lime juice until puréed. Pour puréed peach nectar through a sieve into a bowl and refrigerate. Make rosemary simple syrup and refrigerate until cool. Fill glass with ice and one cup of peach nectar. Top with lemon-lime soda and a splash of rosemary simple syrup. Garnish with remaining peach slices and a rosemary sprig. Enjoy!
Serves 2.
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19 comments:
This looks amazing and I love being able to put my fresh herbs to good use! :)ReplyDelete
Looks so yummy!!:)ReplyDelete
Mmmmmmm, looks delish, thanks for the recipe and beautiful photos too!ReplyDelete
rosemary syrup? Is there such great thing and I don't know it? Oh my!! :D :DReplyDelete
In Whirl of Inspiration
This looks so delish! You make some seriously tasty drinks Jennifer!ReplyDelete
can't believe I've only just found your blog Jennifer- especially after coveting to your wears for so long!
This sounds AMAZING! Perfect summer drink! Thanks!ReplyDelete
I found this post though Pinterest. The photo was so beautiful that I just had to come here to read the recipe! Love it! And love your site :-).ReplyDelete
I would like to invite you to share this post (and your other posts :-) ) on a new photo based recipe sharing site that launched in May. The idea is simple: all recipe photographs are published within minutes of submission. And, of course, the images link back to the author's site.
It's called RecipeNewZ (with Z) - http://recipenewz.com
I hope you get a chance to visit and to share some of your delicious posts with our viewers. It would be a pleasure to have you on board :-)
This looks so delicious!ReplyDelete
hm it looks so yummy! I will surely try it!ReplyDelete
Thanks for sharing
Amazing drink.ReplyDelete
oh yum! i have to try this soonReplyDelete
This looks extremely refreshing and easy. And I LOVE the table cloth. Any word on where it's from?ReplyDeleteReplies
Hi Emily! The tablecloth is from World Market. :)Delete
i have to try this! it looks so refreshing!ReplyDelete
Can't wait to try this. I have a great rosemary pot growing...this will be perfect!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousJune 18, 2012
hmmm rosemary syrup... something to make this weekend I think! looks delish.ReplyDelete
I can't wait to try this out!ReplyDelete
Yum that looks delicious!ReplyDelete
xo Lisa
- AnonymousMay 28, 2013
What a wonderful summer dish. But we're thinking champagne instead of the soda! Has anyone tried that?ReplyDelete
Thank you for your comments, I love hearing from you!
Questions, comments or sponsorship inquires, please contact me via the 'contact' link.


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Empathic Psychic/ Barbara Balkin
My empathic psychic ability became obvious to me in 1975, through taking the Silva Method. I began with psychometry: holding the object of a person and 'reading' them energetically. I quickly graduated to holding people's hands, whereby who they are pours into me – I experience you physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. You will feel both energized and at peace through our connecting in this way.
If possible, please provide photos of anyone you're inquiring about: I need to see their eyes (no dark glasses). This is helpful but not necessary. Also photos of beloved animal companions, past and present, if important to you. Many times they 'show' themselves to me as soon as I hold your hands.
I trained with Roland Moore, long-time president of the American Society of Dowsers, in the nineties.
I incorporate tarot, runes, reiki, dowsing, and our connection with Nature in our sessions. (Be aware of what birds or animals interact with you during the days and especially the hours before our appointment. This has significance.)
I do energetic "house-cleaning", and can teach you how to do so.
In all my work, I effort to live by the words of LaoTsu: "Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love."
Testimonial: For anyone who gets the chance to do a reading with Barbara Balkin when she's available on Sundays, I highly recommend it! I met with her in Freeport today and left with my questions answered and a positive outlook embraced. The warm and motherly energy she emits makes her extremely easy to talk to and her care/interest for her clients clearly goes beyond the paid sessions. Thanks to Leapin' Lizards for introducing me to such a magnificent and talented person!! – Tom Wigglesworth
$55 for 30 minutes
$100 for 60 minutes


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For many fans at Comic-Con, the success of this year's juggernaut film "The Avengers" has only whetted appetites for the next installment in the Iron Man franchise.
Good thing they only have to wait until next year for "Iron Man 3" and the return of characters Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) and James Rhodes (Don Cheadle).
Downey Jr. and Cheadle were on hand Saturday, the penultimate day of Comic-Con - to promote the film - currently in production - and talk up the Marvel Universe. While much of the plot remains closely guarded, the cast and filmmakers did reveal that the next installment will delve more into the background lives of the main characters - without sacrificing any of the jaw-dropping action, of course.
U.S. & World
News from around the country and around the globe
Cutest question at the conference went to the young fan with the drawn-on Tony Stark goatee who asked what it meant to Downey Jr. to play the hero. "It's an odd thing," Downey Jr. said. "I take it as seriously as Shakespeare."
Serious is good word for the fans who waited patiently for hours in the sweltering humidity outside Hall H at San Diego's convention center for a glimpse of director Peter Jackson's prequel to the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy: "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey."
If reaction to the footage shown is any indication, it looks like Jackson has a couple of major hits on his hands. 12 minutes of clips were screened of the first installment based on the J.R.R. Tolkien novel - the story will be split into two separate movies - featuring Martin Freeman as the titular Hobbit Bilbo Baggins, along with other returning characters Gollum, Gandalf and Galadriel. To fans delight, Jackson even showed the seen where Bilbo discovers the ring.
Alongside Jackson on the panel were Ian McKellan (Gandalf), Andy Serkis (Gollum) and Richard Armitage who plays the dwarf Thorin Oakenshield. "The Hobbit" begins its journey in theaters December 14.
"Django Unchained," the latest from "Pulp Fiction" director Quentin Tarantino, follows Django (Jamie Foxx), a black slave freed by a bounty hunter, King Schultz (Christophe Waltz). The pair embark on a bloody quest to rescue Django's captured slave wife, Broomhilda (Kerry Washington). Tarantino, Foxx, Waltz and Washington were all present on the film's morning panel.
Some of the assembled 6,000+ fans had waited overnight to hear Tarantino speak. He, and the clips shown of the movie, received a thunderous applause. While Tarantino downplayed "Django" as a slave movie (likening it more to a spaghetti western), Jamie Foxx tackled the race issues without flinching, recalling moments from his adolescence that helped shape his character. "In Texas, being a kid, it was racially charged to be honest with you," he said. "Being called ni---- as a young kid growing up, by grown people, it's something I had to deal with coming from the south. Having it done to me, I was able to grasp that in the script."
Also on Saturday, the penultimate day of Comic-Con, fans of returning small screen series were treated to panels from "True Blood," "Shameless," "The Vampire Diaries," "Family Guy" and a look at the new NBC fall series "Revolution" set in a post-apocalyptic world without power.
Those present for the discussion panel featuring "Pushing Daisies" creator Bryan Fuller expected the focus to be on his new series "Hannibal," which looks at the early life of psychiatrist-turned-serial-killer Hannibal Lechter.
But when Butch Patrick, the actor who played the original Eddie Munster on the hit 1960's television series "The Munsters" took the podium before Fuller, fans knew they were in for a treat. Almost ten minutes of Fuller's pilot of the reboot of the classic show that centers around a close-knit family of monsters was shown to rapturous applause. "Mockingbird Lane" as it is titled - after the Munsters' address: 1313 Mockingbird Lane - is a dark, stylized take on a family that may look freaky on the outside, but are the same as you and me within.
"There is no traditional family anymore," Fuller told the crowd. "It doesn't exist because there are so many different types of families. This is about embracing the freak of your family and being proud."
Gone is the campy B-movie makeup and knee-slapping gags. Herman (Jerry O'Connell), the patriarch of the family no longer sports neck bolts. In their place is a what appears to be a freshly-sewn scar encircling his entire neck. His wife Lily, played by Portia de Rossi, is agelessly beautiful (she is undead, after all), and donning Grandpa's (very) bloody vampire fangs is the cross-dressing comedian Eddie Izzard.
Fuller announced that NBC has ordered additional scripts, saying, "The fact that they spent a lot of money on the pilot, they're clearly invested in doing the show in a spectacular fashion." They'll be monsters doing monstrous things, he said of the Munster clan, adding that the show "would be darker" than his previous series "Dead Like Me."
Inspired by the Tim Burton art exhibit in New York three years ago, Fuller described his vision of "Mockingbird Lane" so: "We wanted this to look like if Hitchcock was directing a Harry Potter film."


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Thanks to our reader, Tim, for sending us the above photo of Australian sheepshearers on their bicycles. The bicycle is credited rightly with improving the human gene pool in the way that it increased the mobility radius for people not only in cities but also in rural areas. After the invention of the bicycle and the subsequent bicycle boom in the late 1880's, family names that were previously rooted to specific towns or regions started showing up in the registries of (relatively) far-flung parishes in the UK. The same is true for rural America and Australia. The inexpensive independent mobility that the bicycle provided allowed men and women to travel farther further in the search for work and... well... TLC.
Anyway, this is a continuation of the Subversive Bicycle Photos series, showing the historical role that the bicycle played in cities and towns - in this case New South Wales, Australia. Important documentation on the journey to show that Bicycle Culture 2.0 is NOT dominated by sub-cultures but rather has the potential to be enjoyed by all citizens. As was the case in cities and towns around the world. In Cairns, Queensland, Canberra, Dublin, Vancouver, etc. etc.
These photographs are from the Flickr photostream of the State Library of New South Wales.
Stanmore, NSW, Australia. May, 1946.
Albury, NSW, Australia. December, 1938.
NSW, Australia. June 1937. An explanation is probably needed:
"Tom Morris, who will attempt to skip from Sydney to Brisbane, via the Pacific Highway, will set out from the General Post Office at noon to-day. He has already skipped from Melbourne to Adelaide and back (1000 miles) and from Melbourne to Sydney in 28 days."
His friend on the left must be an early member of the Slow Bicycle Movement.
Boys of Hoyts Clovelly Theatre Spider's Web Club ride their bikes while Spiderman looks on. Clovelly, NSW, Australia. n.d.
Jenolan Caves, NSW, Australia. April, 1903.
Man on bicycle pillioning boy. Bunaloo, NSW, Australia. "Pillioning". There's a word you don't hear every day. I'm assuming that means the boy is standing up. As opposed to that other Australianism, "dinking".
Brownie (Muriel Long) with bicycle decorated for street procession. Deniliquin, NSW. n.d.
Annie Dawson Wallace with her bicycle. NB: Annie is wearing trousers - Sydney, NSW, Australia. 1899
Man on a penny-farthing bicycle being chased by his sister (Maggie & Bob Spiers) - West Wyalong, NSW, Australia. Ca. 1900
Waratah Rovers Bicycle Club on tour. Picton, NSW, Australia. October 1900.
And a couple of street scenes from Sydney. Ca. 1900 and 1932, respectively.


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By Rick Hampson, USA TODAY
NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. – More than a century after stunters, hucksters and daredevils were banned from desecrating the world's most famous waterfall, a Flying Wallenda will walk a tightrope across the cataract in prime time on live national TV — with official permission and support.
It happens Friday night. Nik Wallenda, seventh-generation scion of the first family of the high wire, will try to become the first person in 116 years to walk over the Niagara River, and the first ever to cross so close to the mighty falls' thick mists and gusty winds.
In a testament to the economy's sluggishness and tourism's allure, the USA and Canada granted Wallenda an exception to the no-stunts policy. The supposed beneficiary is this beleaguered city of 50,000, which shares the falls' name and little else.
Once a scenic wonder, industrial colossus and honeymoon capital all wrapped in one, the city has over the past 50 years lost much of its industry, half its population and almost all its glamor. Yet now it's the site of the biggest high-wire act since Phillippe Petit walked between the World Trade Center towers in 1974.
"We've done it — boom! — a shot heard 'round the world," New York State Assemblyman John Ceretto said when the walk was approved this year. "Somebody might be out there and say, 'I want to invest in this city. They're on the move, they're thinking outside the box.' "
Wallenda himself is on message. "Not even Marilyn Monroe brought the attention here that I've brought," he says, referring to the star of the 1953 film Niagara. "Anyone who says this doesn't help Niagara Falls, they're fools."
He means critics such as Paul Gromosiak, a local naturalist and historian whose books include one on Niagara daredevils. He calls Wallenda's walk a step backward: "It's a distraction from an experience of nature. It reduces Niagara Falls to a backdrop."
In a nation whose basic economy is at best changing and at worst declining, Niagara Falls is one of many communities that have seen their future in the past:
•The legalization of gambling in Atlantic City in 1978 failed to alleviate urban blight in the faded resort. The city is betting on yet another casino, the Revel, which cost $2 billion and opened last month.
•Connersville, Ind., known a century ago as "Little Detroit" because of its importance to the auto industry, hoped to return to prosperity as the site of a plant where 1,500 workers would make high-tech police cars. But this year, the Energy Department denied Carbon Motors a $310 million loan, possibly killing the project.
Niagara Falls' own history includes wire walkers such as the Great Blondin, who crossed the Niagara Gorge in 1859 with his manager on his back. Maria Spelterini (1876) walked across backward wearing wicker peach baskets on her feet. Charles Cromwell (1884) sat on a chair on the wire. Clifford Calverly (1893) raced across in a record two minutes, 35 seconds.
None crossed anywhere near the falls itself. Yet Wallenda, whose wire is strung directly over them, may be hard pressed to enter this pantheon.
For months Wallenda promised a death-defying feat — "He's conquered fear!" Assemblyman Cerreto proclaimed. But a few weeks ago, ABC, which will televise the walk, insisted that Wallenda wear a harness tethering him to the wire. Wallenda says he'll go along because he needs sponsors to cover his costs, and sponsors generally don't want to be associated with the sight of someone falling to his death.
The dilemma is vintage Niagara Falls, where — because of the competing demands of industry, tourism and conservation — things often are not as they seem. A public power authority carefully modulates the flow of water over the falls, depending on the season or time of day, to suit visitors; the falls themselves, shaped by man as well as nature, are lit at night, sometimes in garish colors to mark an occasion.
From Canada, the view across the gorge is relatively natural. From America, there is a panorama of hotels, casinos, restaurants, pop museums, observation towers and a Ferris wheel.
"There's an Oz-like quality to what happens here," admits the mayor, Paul Dyster. "What's real? What's fake?"
Niagara Falls is a sucker for saviors. Nik Wallenda is not the first.
On the afternoon of Feb. 13, 2008, Eliot Spitzer, then governor of New York, came to talk with local leaders about how to revitalize the city.
Dyster was waiting when the governor's black Suburban pulled up outside the site of the meeting, Shorty's Ultimate Sports Bar and Grill. The governor's party came in and shook hands, but there was no governor. "He's still in the Suburban, making a call," an aide told Dyster. "He'll just be a minute."
After the meeting, Spitzer invited Dyster to come to Albany to discuss a menu of projects. A month later, Dyster's bags were packed when he heard the news: A federal prostitution investigation had led to Spitzer, known to the Emperors Club VIP escort service as "Client 9."
Soon Dyster learned the rest of the story: Just before the meeting Feb. 13 in Niagara Falls, according to wiretap logs, Spitzer called the escort service for an assignation that night at a Washington hotel. After the meeting, he called again and was told a woman would be waiting. "Great, OK," he said.
"What a disappointment!" says Gromosiak, the historian. "We were so happy we hugged him when he came here. We thought he was the right kind of governor for Niagara Falls."
There is no place like Niagara Falls. The nation's first state park was created here in 1883 to protect the falls from tourists and developers, but the city boomed on cheap water power and heavy industry.
After 1950, as its electro-chemical industry faded, the city began to fold. Attempts to reverse the decline, including the bulldozing of much of downtown and a series of white-elephant urban renewal projects, made things worse.
Then came Love Canal, the dumpsite-turned-residential neighborhood that was evacuated and declared a national disaster area after toxic chemicals started oozing from the ground in the late '70s.
Today, the city is old and poor; two of three residents subsist largely on welfare or Social Security, according to Census studies.
Even the Falls District, next to the state park, is pockmarked by empty lots, closed businesses and abandoned houses. Can Wallenda help change the city's luck? "For a weekend," Dyster says, "the world's attention will focus on Niagara Falls."
The world may not like what it sees, according to Ginger Strand, a cultural historian who has studied Niagara. "Everyone already knows all about the falls, but they don't realize how bad the city is," she says. "An American who arrives there is immediately appalled and embarrassed for the nation and hurries to the Canadian side."
Wallenda's walk will have one bit of unfortunate symbolism. Like many tourists, he'll start on the American side but wind up in Canada.
Nik Wallenda was 6 when he first saw Niagara Falls. He recalls his reaction: "I told my sister how amazing it would be to walk a tightrope across it."
Twenty-seven years later, he's perched on a practice wire 8 feet above a gambling casino parking lot in downtown Niagara Falls, talking about his falls' walk as if it were a fight and the falls was the opponent. "One of the things I enjoy is the challenge of Mother Nature," he says. Not only is he "battling this natural wonder," he says, "what I'm doing is a natural wonder. If not, there'd be 150 people behind me on the wire."
The wire is a 2-inch diameter steel cable, so much thicker than the 5/8-inch one Wallenda usually trods that "it feels like a sidewalk." He wears soft suede shoes made for him by his mother that are designed to grip the wire. He holds a 30-foot-long metal balancing pole.
Wallenda expects to take 30 to 40 minutes to cross the 1,800 feet from the American to the Canadian side of the falls, starting about 200 feet above the churning water at the base of Horseshoe Falls. Officials expect a crowd of at least 100,000. Four thousand free tickets to a viewing area in the state park were snapped up online in four minutes. Most people will watch from Canada, which has a better view of the falls. The Sheraton in Niagara Falls, Ont., has "wire walk packages" starting at $499.
Conservationists such as Gromosiak worry that Wallenda's walk will encourage other daredevils. Several who previously went over the falls in a barrel have indicated an interest in trying again, legally or illegally.
The sponsors of the bill that allowed the walk said it was a one-time affair. Anyway, Dyster says, "If we tried to do this every month, it would lose its special character." Stunting, he says, isn't sustainable — the crowd expects bigger and bigger risks.
The Wallendas are famous for working without a net. Two troupe members were killed in 1962, when a seven-person chair pyramid collapsed, and patriarch Karl (Nik's great-grandfather) died in a fall in 1978 at age 73. Only now it turns out that on Friday Nik will be leashed like a toddler to a parent.
Buffalo News columnist Rod Watson says the public was "duped" and hotels "should offer full refunds to anyone who cancels after finding out the death-defying feat they thought they were coming to see will be nothing of the sort."
No one is more dismissive of the tether than Wallenda, who says he will wear it because he has to, even though "I feel like I'm cheating" and the device invites failure: "If you think you can fall, you're more likely to. You have a different attitude." And it's not what his audience expects: "People don't watch NASCAR just to see a car race."
Of course, Wallenda could be setting the stage for an even more dramatic feat: to detach the tether once he's out on the wire, finish without it and dare ABC to do anything about it. He's said he'd have to be able to jettison the tether if he feels it's compromising his safety. "I have never in my life walked with a harness," Wallenda says. The weight of the tether, he jokes, "makes it feel like I'm dragging an anchor behind me.''
Some are rooting for him to drop the harness, TV contract or not. "I think as soon as he gets out there, he'll take it off," says Freddy Arnold, 49, a construction worker who was one of hundreds who came to watch Wallenda practice in the parking lot. "He can't let television tell him what to do." Wallenda says no. "I don't foresee that happening at this point. I have given ABC my word," he says
Wallenda says he needs the TV money to cover costs such as rigging, insurance and security. He's also trying to raise $50,000 online, offering to have lunch with $5,000 donors and to give a private tightrope walking lesson for $10,000.
But he says he's walking for challenge, not the money. No one ever made a fortune on a stunt at Niagara Falls.
Annie Taylor was the first person to ride over the falls in a barrel. She took the plunge on her 64th birthday in 1901, hoping to get rich or die trying. She failed on both counts, dying 20 years later in the county poorhouse, without enough money for a gravestone.
Mega Stunts: Highwire Over Niagara Falls Live (2012) (TV)
Hosts: Hanna Storm


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Morrissey: Take five
special to the daily
My dogs were not calm. I had been busy with work, teaching, family and life. They were acting out. I was giving them general love and care but no individual attention. So, one by one, I took each of them for a five-minute walk. We played their favorite games, worked on agility or played ball. One at a time they received my complete and undivided attention for five to 10 minutes. Then all was calm again.
We live in busy times and it is becoming more the norm to have multiple-dog households. It is easy to get used to "the group" and forget that each dog needs individual attention. Taking even five minutes a day to give each of your dogs one-on-one time can lead to huge benefits.
> As mentioned above, once a dog receives your undivided attention, they calm down and stop asking for it.
> When training dogs for basic manners, tricks, agility or other tasks, it is always easiest to train one at a time. Your timing will be much more precise and your communication with one dog at a time much clearer.
> When walking multiple dogs, one dog can often instigate barking or lunging and then the other dog joins in. If this is the case, it is very important to walk one dog at a time. It will give you a chance to do some focused work with the reactive dog to change their behavior and will prevent the non-reactive dog from learning behavior you do not want.
> In multiple-dog households, if the dogs do not have one-on-one human time, they tend to develop relationships more between themselves rather than with their humans, and the human ends up on the "outside." This is especially true if one has siblings from the same litter. Siblings will form a very close bond, and it is absolutely important to separate them for some time each day and develop a unique relationship with each of them.
> If one dog is always hogging the attention and the other is always quietly on the sidelines, it is healthier for the relationship between you and each dog and between the dogs themselves when they are given separate, individual time with you. The attention hog will learn some self-control and the quiet one will gain confidence.
> It is important to spend individual time with each dog every day rather than picking one over the other. You do not want to develop favoritism or resentment. In other words if you have three dogs, put aside 15 minutes a day to spend five minutes with each dog.
> Even if you have just one dog, you will find that five minutes a day focused on your time together will enrich your relationship and lead to a calmer, better behaved canine.
Our dogs contribute so many wonderful things to our lives and offer their companionship constantly. Find those five to 10 minutes a day in your busy schedule to give to your dog, and you will see amazing results!
Louisa Morrissey is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA) and owner of Skijor n-More. She is also a professional member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers and a licensed Victoria Stilwell Positively Dog Trainer. http://www.skijornmore.com
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Tagged: Gery Chico
Three Up, Three Down
Just like Mr. Krause on a first date, this is gonna be quick, probably painful and
will most likely include more than one embarrassing revelation:
Today is election day here in the Chi. Rahm. Carol. Chico. Some other guy. Those are your choices for mayor. Oh… I mean, those are your Democratic party choices. In this town, Republicans just hang out at the local deep dish joint and get fat, occasionally showing up to an event to slam a Democrat or two. Such slams are rarely heard. Like they say, if a tree falls…
And don't worry. When I showed up to vote this morning I didn't let that pesky ghost of Ron Santo standing outside the polling center sway me. And judging by the turnout (or lack thereof), I don't think anyone else is voting him in either.
Some things never change… like…
So, will you or won't you, dear readers? Will you follow my jaded and oft lugubrious colleague, Mr. Allen Krause, to the trenches of a baseball-less existence… all to stick it to a guy (assuming Bud Selig does have proper male anatomy) who doesn't care, who isn't listening, who won't get it anyway? Are you really ready to stay home and watch Maury all day instead of batting practice? Are you prepared to sulk in the reality that is a soulless sports sanctuary that includes *cough* the NBA and NHL? You do know that this has nothing to do with forcing change (why bring it up just now after all these years?) and everything to do with misery loves company, right?
It's true dear readers… and it's all the fault of…
Who else is to blame for Mr. Krause's sudden bout of revolutionary activism? Why it can only be his beloved man-crush Miguel Cabrera, of course! With Miggy's er… uh… "issues" causing alarm throughout the Tigers organization, Mr. Krause knows that his team's season could be well over before it even starts. And that is why he is rushing to react, to draw in troops, to overthrow the baseball world so we all lose sight of Detroit slipping below Kansas City in the win column.
Believe it. Or don't. Just don't say you weren't warned by someone in the know.
And… don't hate me. 'Cuz I'm right.
Three Up, Three Down
Just like a Pedro Martinez pitched inning circa 1999, this is gonna be quick, probably painful and will most likely include more soul-glo than the FDA deems acceptable:
A few weeks ago, I ran into Rahm Emanuel at the Roosevelt Red Line stop. I shook his hand, wished him luck in the Chicago mayoral election, then basked in the warm glory that is his presence. Yeah, kinda makes me sick too. But I can't lie. He had a an insidiously welcoming glow about him. And as I stood there, standing next to (and above, as the man is quite short) him, I couldn't help but debate myself, asking Well, Jeff, are we on Rahm's team or no?
Then, yesterday, I read *this* and realized the Carol Moseley Underlings and Gery Chico Brigade might have already made the decision for me.
Of course, Rahm is Rahm and Rahms don't go down without a fight.
So let's sit back and watch as time and LOTS OF MONEY are wasted on the proceedings.
The American Way.
Se la vie.
Call it desperation or call it genius (I'm goin' with genius, by the way), but the Tamp Bay Rays certainly found a flashy way to fill some holes in their lineup by adding Idiot One and Idiot Two to their roster. On the cheap! Hey, if they could just convince Curt Schilling (and that unstoppable mouth) to suit back up, maybe the Rays will have a real chance at stickin' it to the Yank Sox again this year! If nothing else they have succeeded in ultimately defying logic: Manny Ramirez will get $2 million while *GASP* Kyle Farnsworth will make $2.7 million! WTF?!?!?!?
Say what you want about the Chicago Bears and their NFC Championship performance, but as a Chicagoan, I call out to all fellow Chicagoans to lay off Jay Cutler. For realz.
In fact, I'm just gonna shut up about it and defer to RSBS regular, Johanna Mahmud with the quote:
"you can never quiet the stupid."
Hate me, just don't hate me 'cuz I'm right.


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Journal of the South African Institution of Civil Engineering
versión On-line ISSN 2309-8775
versión impresa ISSN 1021-2019
J. S. Afr. Inst. Civ. Eng. vol.55 no.3 Midrand ene. 2013
Rocking shear wall foundations in regions of moderate seismicity
J E van der Merwe; J A Wium
This paper presents a study which investigates the feasibility of a concept to reduce the size of shear wall foundations for earthquake forces in regions of moderate seismicity. The approach is to allow rocking of the shear wall foundation and to include the contribution of a shear wall and reinforced concrete frame to assist as a lateral force-resisting system. A simplified multi degree-of-freedom model with non-linear material properties was used to investigate this lateral-force-resisting system subjected to base accelerations from recorded ground motions. An example building was studied with the shear wall foundation designed to resist 0%, 20%, 40%, 60%, 80% and 100% of the design overturning moment from the seismic event. Non-linear time-history analyses were performed with input from seven scaled ground-motion records. It is shown that the concept warrants more detailed studies and that a significantly reduced shear wall foundation size is possible without failure of the lateral force-resisting system.
Keywords: rocking foundations, moderate seismicity, structural frame, time-history
Reinforced concrete structures consisting of flat slabs, columns and shear walls are common structural systems in many parts of the world. These structures are usually designed so that the shear walls resist all lateral forces, which can be either wind or seismic loads. The flat slabs and columns are designed to resist gravity loads only.
In regions of moderate seismicity it has been shown that a suitable structural system is created when designing the shear wall with a plastic hinge zone at the lower part of the wall, with the shear walls resisting lateral loads, and all other structural elements designed to resist gravity loads. It is common to verify the behaviour of the columns and flat slabs against lateral drift criteria.
For the assumption of plastic zones at the bottom of shear walls to hold true, a sufficiently stiff foundation is required. This foundation should have limited rotation and should remain linear elastic when lateral loads are applied to the structure. Buildings with at least one basement level may provide a shear wall with a sufficiently stiff foundation.
However, if a building has no basement level, the stiff support of the shear wall will have to be provided by the foundation. Shear walls that are designed to resist seismic loads require significantly larger foundations than in the case of wind loading as the dominant lateral load condition, depending on the height of the building and the number of shear walls in the building. Traditionally the shear wall foundation is designed to have a larger bending moment capacity than the shear wall to ensure that plastic deformation occurs in the wall and not the foundation. The result is that excessively large shear wall foundations are required even in regions of moderate seismicity.
This paper presents a study into the feasibility of reducing the size of shear wall foundations in regions of moderate seismic-ity in buildings with no basement level. A simplified approach was taken to determine the merit of a more sophisticated approach in a subsequent study. This investigative study was aimed at allowing shear wall foundation rocking, taking into account the contribution of structural frames consisting of flat slabs and columns to the lateral stiffness of the structure.
The shear wall, rocking shear wall foundation and the structural frame will therefore work together to resist seismic loading on the building, the main mechanism being the rocking motion of the shear wall foundation. Such a reduction in the shear wall foundation could result in a significant reduction in cost.
Analysis methods that are not normally used for building structures in regions of moderate seismicity were implemented in this study. It is the view of the authors that current simplified analysis methods are not capable of investigating the feasibility of the concept of this study.
The concept of rocking foundations has received much attention to date.
Gazetas (2006) states that the deform-ability of soil increases the natural vibration period of the structure, which in turn leads to smaller accelerations and stresses in the superstructure and foundation. The use of overstrength factors in the capacity design method may prevent structural yielding of the footing as well as bearing capacity failures. A limited amount of foundation uplift can, however, still occur. When foundation rocking takes place, other structural elements should be designed for the associated shedding of load from the shear wall to the structural frame.
Kawashima and Hosoiri (2003) have shown that foundation rocking has a beneficial effect on the dynamic performance of bridge piers. They found that the plastic deformation of the bridge pier decreases if uplifting of the foundation occurs as a result of softening of the moment-rotation hysteresis loops of the foundation.
The similarities and differences between the oscillatory response of a single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) oscillator (regular pendulum) and the rocking response of a slender rigid block (inverted pendulum) were investigated by Makris and Konstantinidis (2001). They found that there are fundamental differences in the mechanical structure of these two dynamic systems, and consequently that the rocking structure cannot be replaced by an equivalent SDOF oscillator. Based on the findings by Makris and Konstantinidis (2001), it was decided that the simplified model created for the purpose of this investigation should contain all the horizontal degrees of freedom of the investigated structure. Therefore an equivalent multiple-degree-of-freedom (MDOF) model was created rather than an SDOF model. The MDOF model is discussed later in this paper.
Anderson (2003) investigated the effect of a rocking shear wall foundation to determine how this approach can be used to reduce shear wall foundation sizes - the main response investigated was the drift ratio of the structure. The shear wall and foundation, not including any other structural elements, were modelled using a number of soil springs with zero tension gap elements to allow for rocking of the shear wall foundation. The investigation by Anderson (2003) confirmed that the concept of rocking foundations can reduce the foundations considerably to sizes smaller than the size required to resist the moment capacity of the shear wall without the building falling over.
This concept was extended to include the contribution of other structural elements to the investigative study described in this paper.
In this study an example building was used to perform various comparative analyses. The structural elements in the building were detailed according to the assumption that only the shear walls resist lateral forces, and that columns and flat slabs are designed to resist gravity loads only. Seismic excitation was only considered in the north-south direction and therefore shear walls were included to provide lateral stiffness in this direction.
A plan layout of the chosen building is shown in Figure 1.
The properties used in this investigation are shown in Table 1.
Calculation of the above parameters is discussed in more detail by Van der Merwe (2009).
The shear wall located on grid A of the plan layout, the foundation of this shear wall, and an internal structural frame located on grid B of the plan layout were investigated(see Figure 1). The stiff shear wall governs the dynamic response of the entire edge frame, and for this reason the contribution of the frame elements in the plane of the wall was deemed to be insignificant. The reinforcement layout for the shear wall resulted from flexural resistance to lateral loading, leading to an axial load of only 10% of the axial load capacity.
Foundation sizes were obtained by using different percentages of the overstrength bending moment (MRd+) as the applied bending moment for the design of the foundation. Foundation sizes obtained by applying 0%, 20%, 40%, 60%, 80% and 100% of the over-strength bending moment were investigated. Table 2 shows the investigated shear wall foundation sizes.
For the purpose of the numerical analyses, criteria were determined that identified different modes of failure. The mean material properties were used to determine the failure criteria rather than the design material properties.
Material strain criteria
The strain limits of reinforcement steel and concrete material were calculated for different modes of failure and are presented in Table 3 and Table 4. Refer also to Figure 2 for definitions of the symbols. Calculation of these parameters is discussed in more detail by Van der Merwe (2009).
The mean reinforcement steel material properties were determined from the South African concrete design code SABS 0100-1 (2000) and Mirza and MacGregor (1979). The fracture strain of reinforcement steel was determined from FEMA 273 (1997). Expressions presented by Paulay and Priestley (1992) were used to determine the strain limits of concrete material. The structural analysis software package SeismoStruct (SEISMOSOFT 2007) was used in this investigation. Structural sections were created and the above-mentioned material strain limits were assigned to the different materials as performance criteria. This enabled the identification of different types of failure as shown in Figure 4 and Figure 6. The properties of the reinforcement material used in this investigation are shown in Table 3.
For unconfined concrete the following values were used:
■ε'c = 0.002
Element rotation criteria
FEMA 273 (1997) prescribes limits to the chord rotation of plastic hinges that may form in different structural elements depending on the reinforcement detail and desired performance level. The assumption of a Life Safe performance level for the chosen building structure leads to the following plastic hinge rotation limits:
■ Shear wall: 0.01 radians
■ Columns: 0.005 radians
■ Slab elements at slab-column connections: 0.015 radians
Material strain limits relate to the ultimate limit state, while plastic hinge rotation limits relate to the serviceability limit state (lateral drift of the structure). The rotation limit for slab elements at column connections is a limit to accommodate the increased shear due to unbalanced moments.
Non-linear capacity against lateral loading effects was determined for the three systems assumed to contribute to the lateral stiffness of the building:
■ Shear wall
■ Structural frame
■ Shear wall foundation
The capacity curves of these systems are discussed in the following paragraphs.
Shear wall capacity
Pushover analyses were performed on the shear wall to obtain the lateral force-displacement characteristics. The structural analysis software package SeismoStruct (SEISMOSOFT 2007) was used for this purpose. Lumped masses were included on each floor level to account for the effect of gravity of the contributing slab area on the shear wall. The designers' guide to EN 1998-1 and EN 1998-5 (2005) states that the base shear force should be distributed in a uniform and a triangular pattern over the height of the building and that the most unfavourable resulting curve should be used.
The result of the pushover analysis of the shear wall is a non-linear relationship of base shear force and lateral roof displacement. From Figure 3 it can be seen that the triangular force distribution results in the largest lateral roof displacement for a given base shear force and is therefore the most unfavourable result if lateral roof displacement is considered to be the determining parameter.
A bilinear approximation of the resulting curve was obtained by following the procedure described in FEMA 440 (2005). The prescribed material strain limits for steel yielding and cover spalling were highlighted during the pushover analysis as can be seen from Figure 4.
Structural frame capacity
Following the clauses for laterally loaded frames in the South African concrete design code SABS 0100-1 (2000), the slab width was taken as half the distance between the centres of the panels, resulting in an effective slab width of 3 m.
Both a uniform and triangular lateral load distribution was investigated in the pushover analysis using SeismoStruct (SEISMOSOFT 2007), and bilinear approximation curves were obtained from the FEMA 440 (2005)
Procedure. Comparing the capacity curves (Figure 5), it is clear that a triangular distribution of the base shear force leads to the most unfavourable result if roof displacement is the parameter that is considered.
Prescribed material strain limits for steel yielding and concrete cover spalling were highlighted during the pushover analyses, as well as the slab element rotation limit (Figure 6).
Foundation capacity
Analytical expressions for the momentrotation response of a rigid foundation on a Winkler soil model were presented by Allotey and Naggar (2003). Equations were derived for four main states. These conditions and the resulting supporting soil pressure on the foundation are shown in Figure 7.
An allowable soil-bearing pressure of 750 kPa and a soil density of 1 800 kg/m3 were chosen for the comparative analyses. For the building investigated using the chosen parameters, it was found that foundation uplift would occur prior to yielding of the supporting soil for all investigated foundation sizes.
The non-linear moment-rotation capacity curves of the investigated foundation sizes are shown in Figure 8, along with the positions of the foundation uplift and yielding of the supporting soil.
Non-linear time-history analyses were performed using recorded ground motions. It is important that the chosen ground motion records are representative of the geological and seismological conditions at the location of the investigated structure. Two approaches can be followed. Either three spectrum-compatible records are used with the design response taken to be the maximum of the three, or seven ground motions can be used with the design response taken to be the average of the seven (Priestley, Calvi and Kowalski 2007). In this study the latter approach was used.
Selection of appropriate ground motion records
An initial set of 20 ground motion records were chosen from the PEER Strong Motion Database (University of California 2001). These ground motions are representative of the geological conditions of the chosen structure. These geological conditions included firm soil to soft rock soil profiles and a 15.1 km to 31.7 km closest distance to rupture.
Seven ground motion records, for which the 5% damped response spectra within the same range of vibration periods best fit the shape of the elastic response spectrum used to analyse the investigated structure, were then selected from the initial set of 20 records.
The seven selected ground motion records used, together with the resulting scaling factors, are shown in Table 5.
Scaling of ground motion records
The response spectra of the above ground motion records were scaled to fit the elastic response spectrum in the expected range of vibration periods. For the purpose of scaling the chosen ground motion records, it was assumed that the shear walls have a dominant effect on the vibrating response of the building. This was justified from a comparison of the first mode of vibration of the entire building with that of the shear wall, which showed only a 2.15% difference. Natural vibration periods of the shear wall were therefore used to determine the period range in which to scale the earthquake response spectra. In order to determine the vibration periods an eigenvalue analysis was performed on the shear wall using SeismoStruct (SEISMOSOFT 2007) together with the appropriate contributing mass.
To account for the higher vibration mode response, a vibration period value that will result in a cumulative effective modal mass percentage of 90% was chosen as the lower limit for the range of vibration period values in which to scale the earthquake response spectra. The fundamental period of the wall was increased by a factor of 1.5 to account for the increase in vibration period that could result from non-linear material behaviour. This factor of 1.5 was also used by Naeim et al (2004) in presenting a procedure for scaling of ground motion time-histories. From the output of the eigenvalue analysis it was observed that the first three natural vibration modes lead to a cumulative modal mass percentage of 91.8%, with T1 = 1.264 s and T3 = 0.071 s. The second fundamental period (T2) lies between these two values and is therefore of no importance with regard to the scaling of the selected ground motion. The earthquake response spectra were therefore scaled to fit the elastic response spectrum within a period range of 0.071 s to 1.896 s. A peak ground acceleration of 0.15 g applies to the Cape Town region and was used to compute the elastic response spectrum.
It was attempted to obtain a scaling factor that ensures an equal area between the elastic response spectrum and the earthquake response spectra above and below the elastic response spectrum. An attempt was also made to obtain a good fit between the curves at the fundamental period of vibration. Figure 9 shows this graphic procedure for the ground motion recorded at Plaster City during the Imperial Valley earthquake of 1979.
Simplified geometries were chosen to represent the various structural systems assumed to contribute to the lateral stiffness of the building to reduce computational effort when performing non-linear time-history analyses. The finite element analysis software system Strand7 (2005) was used to perform the nonlinear time-history analyses. This software package allows the modelling of non-linear spring elements, various types of link elements, beam elements with non-linear material behaviour and lumped mass elements, all of which were used for the simplified model.
A spring element with non-linear rotational stiffness was used to model the shear wall foundation. This enabled the direct use of the moment-rotation response obtained for each of the investigated foundation sizes to define the rotational stiffness of the spring element. It must be noted that the simplified model implies that the centre of rotation would always be about the centre line of the wall. Wall rotation due to true foundation rocking response would, however, not be about a fixed position. Rather, the position of rotation would vary as foundation uplift occurs. This limitation was accepted due to the investigative nature of the study.
An elastic-plastic non-linear material response with an isotropic hardening rule was used for the foundation. This way, elastic deformations are recovered, but not plastic deformations.
The simplified model used in this investigative study is not able to capture all the possible dynamic foundation behaviour, such as radiation damping and differential settlement. The hysteresis response of the rotational spring was not considered in the analyses owing to the investigative nature of the study. This is an aspect which needs attention in a more detailed follow-up study.
Shear wall
The shear wall was modelled with beam elements and lumped mass added at each floor level to account for the mass of the floor slab. The bilinear pushover curve of the shear wall was used to determine the required nonlinear moment-curvature response for the shear wall material. The non-linear material response was therefore determined to ensure that an accurate displacement response is obtained. Elastic-plastic hysteresis behaviour with isotropic hardening was assigned to the non-linear material behaviour. Considering that this model was the best available from the software package, this approach is justified by the investigative nature of this pilot study.
A Rayleigh damping coefficient was assigned to the shear wall material to ensure behaviour similar to that of an equivalent single-degree-of-freedom system with a 5% viscous damping ratio.
Structural frame
A two-column model was used to represent the internal structural frame to ensure that the lateral displaced shape would represent frame action. The two columns were connected with rigid link elements to ensure that the columns undergo the same lateral displacement and rotation over the full height. Lumped mass was added at every floor level to account for the weight of the floor slabs which were not modelled. Note that the study did not investigate the degree to which the columns in the frame were stressed.
The non-linear moment-curvature behaviour was determined for the column material in much the same manner as for the shear wall to enable the column material to lead to the required lateral force-displacement behaviour as defined by the bilinear approximation of the pushover curve of the frame. Here also elastic-plastic hysteresis behaviour with isotropic hardening was assigned to the column material response. A damping coefficient was assigned to the column material to ensure a 5% viscous damping ratio.
Combined simplified model
It is assumed that the building will have a uniform lateral floor displacement and therefore the lateral displacement of the shear wall model and structural frame model is linked. Link elements that enforce equal lateral displacement were included at every floor level (Figure 10).
Non-linear time-history analyses were performed by applying the ground acceleration to the base nodes of the model. Seven ground motion records were used for each of the six models with different foundation sizes. The maximum and average response were evaluated for the combined system (global assessment), as well as for each of the investigated systems individually (local assessment).
Local assessment of structural frame
Lateral roof displacement response was used to evaluate the performance of the structural frame. These response output results are shown in Figure 11.
From the pushover analysis of the structural frame (Figure 6), the first performance criterion that was exceeded was the yielding strain limit of reinforcing steel. Since this performance criterion was only exceeded at a lateral roof displacement of 390 mm, and the lateral displacement of the combined system is much less, no failures are expected in the structural frame.
The increasing trend in lateral roof displacement response with decreasing foundation size can be expected as the bending moment resistance of the foundation decreases with decreasing size.
Local assessment of foundations
Relative rotation response of the non-linear spring element was used to assess the performance of the various foundation sizes. Rocking of the foundation is allowed and therefore yielding of the supporting soil is the only performance criterion investigated in this study (identified in Figure 8). The maximum and average response output are shown in Figure 12.
The general trend of increasing footing rotation with decreasing foundation size can be expected because of the resulting decrease in bending moment resistance.
From Figure 12 it is observed that the rotation limit resulting in yielding of the supporting soil is only exceeded for foundation sizes designed to resist 20% or less of the overstrength bending moment. Yielding of the supporting soil to the shear wall foundation can therefore be expected for only rather small foundation sizes.
Local assessment of shear wall
Lateral roof displacement relative to the footing rotation was used to evaluate the performance of the shear wall, as the shear wall capacity curve (Figure 4) was obtained by assuming a fixed support to the wall (i.e. relative wall displacement = total displacement - displacement due to footing rotation). The yielding strain limit of steel material was the first performance criterion to be exceeded that was identified from the pushover curve of the shear wall at a relative lateral roof displacement of 148.7 mm. Maximum and average relative lateral roof displacement response are shown in Figure 13. The large contribution of the wall stiffness to the total system stiffness, as explained earlier, allows the assumption that wall behaviour in the system can be compared to the behaviour of the wall on its own.
From Figure 13 a general decreasing trend is observed. The rocking effect of the foundation therefore generally has the effect of reducing strains in the shear wall. Very little rocking action can be expected from the foundation size designed to resist the full overstrength bending moment, and therefore a plastic hinge can be expected to form in the lower part of the shear wall to dissipate energy. From Figure 13 it is observed that the maximum response exceeds the steel material yielding strain limit for this foundation size. It follows that a plastic hinge mechanism can be expected to form in the lower part of the wall when the foundation is designed to resist the full overstrength bending moment.
Foundation rocking can be expected to contribute to energy dissipation. Rocking of the foundation (and therefore the contribution to energy dissipation) increases as the foundation size decreases. The required contribution from the plastic hinge mechanism to energy dissipation can therefore be expected to decrease with decreasing foundation size. This is evident from the decreasing trend in the relative lateral roof displacement of the shear wall.
Global assessment
Assessment of the lateral roof displacement of the combined investigated models was performed using the performance levels described in the Vision 2000 report (SEAOC 1995). This global evaluation requires a lateral capacity curve combining that of the shear wall, foundation and structural frame.
Assuming the same lateral displacement for all frames of the building due to stiff floor diaphragms, it follows that the lateral wall displacement due to footing rotation and wall flexibility should be equal to that of the internal frame. With the rotational stiffness of the shear wall footing converted to a corresponding translational stiffness, the spring analogy depicted in Figure 14 can be used to determine the contribution of the different systems to global (combined) stiffness.
The global lateral stiffness can therefore be calculated from Equation (1), where ki represents the lateral stiffness of system i.
This combination of lateral stiffness resulted in global capacity curves for the different combined models. Yield and ultimate lateral roof displacement values of bilinear approximations of each of the capacity curves compared well with that of the shear wall. It can be seen from Figure 15 that all the investigated models had the same values for yield and ultimate lateral roof displacements.
The displacement values required for global assessment of the response output, as taken from Figure 15, are shown in Table 6.
These values were then used to obtain the limits shown in Table 7.
Performance levels defined in the Vision 2000 report (SEAOC 1995) were used for the global assessment, with lateral roof displacement limits as shown in Table 7.
A graphic representation of the lateral roof displacement response is presented in Figure 16.
The investigated office building for general use is classified as a Basic Facility and the Vision 2000 report (SEAOC 1995) prescribes a minimum performance level of Life Safe for this type of structure. From Figure 16 it is observed that only the maximum lateral roof displacement response of the model with a foundation designed not to resist any bending moment exceeds the Life Safe displacement limit.
Conclusions regarding the performance of the investigated structure can be made from the assessment of the non-linear time-history analysis response results.
Structural frame
Neither concrete crushing failures nor flex-ural failures were identified for the structural frame. The increase of shear forces in slab elements at slab-column connections due to the transfer of unbalanced bending moments were not explicitly investigated in this study, and it is recommended that a future study should be focused on investigating this mode of failure. However, rotation limits used in this study provide a suitable approximate criterion for verification of punching shear failure, which demonstrates that this approach of rocking foundations warrants more in-depth studies.
It was observed that a decrease in foundation size leads to a decrease in the rotation limit associated with yielding of the supporting soil and an increase in footing rotation response. It can therefore be concluded that the contribution of the foundation rocking mechanism to energy dissipation increases with decreasing foundation size as could be expected. The increased footing rotation response is expected to lead to increased damage to the foundation. This expected damage in the footing would be in the form of potential permanent settlement deformation, which would be acceptable if Life Safe is the chosen design criteria. Future research should be aimed at investigating the extent and implication of this damage.
Shear wall
From the assessment of the shear wall response it was observed that a plastic hinge can be expected to form in the lower part of the shear wall when the foundation is designed to resist the full overstrength bending moment. The possibility of a plastic hinge forming in the shear wall decreases as the foundation size decreases. It can therefore be concluded that the contribution of the plastic hinge mechanism in the shear wall to energy dissipation decreases as the foundation size decreases. As the contribution of the foundation rocking mechanism to energy dissipation increases, the contribution of the plastic hinge mechanism in the shear wall decreases.
Global performance
It is observed that the shear wall foundation size of the investigated building can be reduced significantly while still limiting deformations to within the Life Safe performance level of the Vision 2000 report (SEAOC 1995). The shear wall foundation should, however, be designed to resist some nominal amount of the overstrength bending moment to prevent extreme structural damage. The extent of damage to services was not investigated in this study. However, if the Life Safe design criterion is chosen, damage to services should be acceptable, but this needs further evaluation.
The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of reducing the size of shear wall foundations of buildings with no basement level in regions of moderate seismicity. From the assessment of displacement responses (of an example structure) resulting from non-linear time-history analyses, it follows that allowing the shear wall foundation to rock, may result in significantly smaller shear wall foundations within acceptable deformation limits.
With this feasible concept of using smaller shear wall foundations it is proposed that the investigation be extended to include a range of structures with different sizes and heights. It is proposed that full three-dimensional analyses and experimental tests be performed to further investigate the feasibility of implementing this concept. Subsequent research can also proceed to investigate the feasibility of the concept in terms of project cost and risk.
The comments by Dr Alessandro Dazio of the Rose School on this study and on the paper are much appreciated.
ki stiffness of system i
K confinement factor
overstrength bending moment at base of shear wall
Ti period of the ith natural mode of vibration
εc cover concrete spalling strain
εcc confined concrete crushing strain
εy steel material yield strain
εu steel material fracture strain
∆p plastic lateral roof displacement
∆u ultimate lateral roof displacement
∆y yield lateral roof displacement
Allotey, N & Naggar, M H E 2003. Analytical moment-rotation curves for rigid foundations based on a Winkler model. Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering, 23: 367-381. [ Links ]
Anderson, D D 2003. Effect of foundation rocking on the seismic response of shear walls. Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering, 30: 360-365. [ Links ]
FEMA 273 1997. NEHRP Guidelines for the Seismic Rehabilitation of Buildings. Prepared by the Applied Technology Council (ATC-33 Project) for the Building Seismic Safety Council, Washington, D.C. [ Links ]
FEMA 440 2005. Improvement of Non-linear Static Seismic Analysis Procedures. Prepared by the Applied Technology Council (ATC-55 Project for the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Washington, D.C. [ Links ]
Gazetas, G 2006. Seismic design of foundations and soil structure interaction. Paper presented at K7 First European Conference on Earthquake Engineering and Seismology, Geneva, Switzerland. [ Links ]
Kawashima, K & Hosoiri, K 2003. Rocking isolation of bridge columns on direct foundations. Proceedings, FIB-Symposium, Concrete Structures in Seismic Regions, Athens, Greence, Paper No 118. [ Links ]
Makris, N & Konstantinidis, D 2001. The rocking spectrum and the shortcomings of design guidelines. Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Centre (PEER), College of Engineering, PEER Report 2001/07. [ Links ]
Mirza, S A & MacGregor, J G 1979. Variability of mechanical properties of reinforcing bars. Journal of the Structural Division - ASCE, 105: 921-937. [ Links ]
Naeim, F, Alimoradi, A & Pezeshk, S 2004. Selection and scaling of ground motion time histories for structural design using genetic algorithms. Earthquake Spectra, 20(2): 413-426. [ Links ]
Paulay, T & Priestley, M J N 1992. Seismic Design of Reinforced Concrete and Masonry Buildings. New York: Wiley. [ Links ]
Priestley, M J N, Calvi, G M & Kowalski, M J (2007) Displacement-based Seismic Design of Structures. Pavia, Italy: IUSS Press. [ Links ]
SABS 2000. SABS 0100-1: The Structural Use of Concrete, Part I: Design. South African Bureau of Standards, Pretoria. [ Links ]
SEISMOSOFT 2007. SeismoStruct - A computer program for static and dynamic non-linear analysis of framed structures. Available from: http://www.seismosoft.com. [ Links ]
Strand7 2005. Finite element analysis system. Release 2.3.8. Available from: http://www.strand7.com. [ Links ]
SEAOC (Structural Engineers Association of California) 1995. Vision 2000: Performance-based Seismic Engineering of Buildings. SEAOC: Sacramento, California. [ Links ]
University of California, Berkeley 2001. PEER Strong Motion Database. Available at: http://peer.berkeley.edu/smcat/search.html accessed on 09/02/2009. [ Links ]
Van der Merwe, J E 2009. Rocking shear wall foundations in regions of moderate seismicity. MSc dissertation, University of Stellenbosch. Available at: http://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/1957. [ Links ]
Contact details:
PO Box, 11896 Hatfielc 008'
E: firstname.lastname@example.com
Contact details:
Departmert of Civil Ergireerirg Stellerbosch Uriversity
Private Bag X'
E: firstname.lastname@example.com
JOHANN VAN DER MERWE obtained his BEng (2007) and MSc(Eng) (2009) from the University of Stellenbosch. His interest in the field of seismic design of building structures began in 2007 during his final-year project which lec to the research topic of this paper. He is currently employed as a structural engineer at Aurecon.
PROF JAN WIUM, Pr Eng, is professor In the Murray & Roberts Chair of Corstructior Ergireerirg arC Maragemert ir the Departmert of Civil Ergireerirg of Stellerbosch Uriversity. He completed his BSc (Erg) arC MSc (Erg) degrees at the Uriversity of Pretoria arc his PhD at the Swiss Federal Irstitute of Technology in Lausanne. He worked as a corsultart for 20 years before joirirg Stellerbosch Uriversity ir 2003. After first researchirg the behaviour of corcrete structures arC the seismic aralysis of structures, he is row corcertratirg his research efforts or the maragemert arC iritiatior of multiCisciplirary projects.


text:
Item Description
General Lane's answer to the President's message
Author: Lane, James Henry, 1814-1866
Date: February 13, 1858
Address by General Lane in response to the President's message about Lane and Kansas. Lane rebukes the President's message about him and Kansas. Described the many elections that Kansas had gone through and the intrusion of Missourians into Kansas to rig the elections.
Location of Original: KSHS Call Number: Port Vault K 978.1 L242g 1858
Item Number: 100169 Number of images: 1
Keywords: Adams, Henry J.; Antislavery; Buchanan, James, 1791-1868; Election fraud; Election, Lecompton Constitution ratification, January 1858; Election, Topeka Constitution, August 1857; Kansas Nebraska Act; Kansas question; Lane, James Henry, 1814-1866; Lawrence Republican; Lawrence, Kansas Territory; Missourians; Tappan, S. F. (Samuel Forster), d. 1913; Topeka Legislature (see Free state legislature)
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|Zeb Atlas
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(Bacon-wrapped avocado)
Yes. Bacon.
(Saw this at Bass Pro Shops – couldn't resist!)
Sorry, boys and girls.
I know it's been an unconscionably long time since my last blog.
I've been busy.
Like 'nuts' busy.
(Original? There's more than one?)
Not to worry, though.
I swore to myself that the first thing I would do…
(In case of emergency, administer bacon!)
Once I got back to the old blog site…
(Because nothing says 'birthday' like bacon frosting!)
Was give you a bacon update!
(Bacon has few fans as loyal as Garfield!)
And here it is.
Just for you.
(Check out the bottom left corner. COR! It's kosher!)
I'd say, "It's good for you!"…
(Who's behind this anarchist movement?)
But we all know I'd be toying with the truth.
Just when you thought the end was near…
And you'd given up all hope…
More bacon photos!
It gives life a sense of purpose.
(As far as I can tell, this is bacon/cheese jello)
OK, a few more.
That bacon taco deserves another photo.
(Bacon taco with chocolate sauce and peanuts!)
I've been away for a while.
(Manly, yes. But I like it too!)
And I have a lot of bacon photos!
And when I say, "a lot"…
I mean "a lot!"


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Voluntary Action North Lanarkshire (VANL) is the Third Sector Interface for third sector organisations in North Lanarkshire
Operating from offices in Airdrie, VANL is Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (Scottish Charity no. SC041224 ;and is a membership organisation open to third sector organisations across the local authority area.
Our Vision
Our vision is for high levels of volunteering and public confidence in the voluntary sector across North Lanarkshire.
Our vision for Voluntary Action North Lanarkshire is a credible, valued and highly regarded strategic partner and first point of contact for volunteering and voluntary sector issues, known for its inclusiveness, responsiveness and innovation; well run, well resourced and self-sufficient, with skilled and motivated staff and volunteers, widely regarded as an exemplar organisation and model of best practice.
Voluntary Action North Lanarkshire will foster dynamic, inclusive communities by promoting and supporting volunteering and the development of the voluntary and community sectors, improving the quality of life for all North Lanarkshire's citizens.
Strategic Aims
Voluntary Action North Lanarkshire will be the single door access for volunteering and the voluntary sector in North Lanarkshire – for individual volunteers, for member organisations and for strategic partners.
Our strategic aims are to:
•Maximise volunteering
•Build the capacity of individuals and communities in North Lanarkshire
•Develop the confidence of the voluntary sector
•Develop confidence in the voluntary sector
•Develop the social and economic impact of the sector
Voluntary Action North Lanarkshire is a values-based organisation. Our approach and delivery of our programme of work is underpinned by our commitment to five core organisational values which influence and shape our work. These are:
Pursuit of Excellence
Working towards the highest possible quality in everything we do
Caring for People
Ensuring that our customers receive the high standard of services that they deserve
Working with many organisations and individuals, and ensuring communication and collaboration
Prodigious Effort
Committing to and recognising high performance and technical ability from all our staff
No Fear of Failure
Being willing to take risks and innovate


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Home > News & Events > Wayland Press Release Archives > 2003 News Releases > February 2003 > Seminar advises students, others on job process
Seminar advises students, others on job process
PLAINVIEW - Before jumping headlong into the job search process, prospective employees should first do a little soul-searching, said Daryl Salyards, distribution manager at McLane Company in Lubbock.
Salyards shared tips to preparing for the job hunt and following through the process in a seminar Feb. 20, sponsored by the Wayland Baptist University chapter of Students in Free Enterprise.
Opening with a few positive comments about the job market outlook for the future, Salyards said a predicted labor shortage will mean jobs will be available for the coming years. But he encouraged job seekers, especially students who will soon be completing a degree and entering the job market, to begin the process not with the classifieds but with some introspection.
"If you have never been honest with yourself before, now is the time," he said. "What do you want today? What do you want in five years?"
Salyards said most people want interesting work where they have promotion opportunities, good wages and job security. But job hunters need to step back and assess their own skill levels and talents, their needs and wants and job readiness before looking.
When it's time to hunt, Salyards suggests networking as the best way to begin, visiting with family, friends, church associates and classmates. The traditional methods of newspaper classifieds, trade journals and headhunter services are also options, but Salyards recommends keeping on top of the information to make sure it's not dated.
After researching the job options - including knowing background and future possibilities with a company - job seekers are open to begin the job-getting process. He suggests preparing a cover letter, resume, interviewing skills and thank-you letter that are specific to the job being sought. Salyards also recommends the following tips for those documents:
- Cover letter should be one page only, with professional and perfect grammar and format, directed to a specific individual and feature selling points on yourself.
- Resume should be visually appealing, concise, professional, specific and laid out in a logical manner. Suggestions include simple fonts, specific language to the job and action verbs.
- Before an interview, know something about the position and the company, your own needs and wants and the market position. Be professional, be early, be prepared and be wary of bad-mouthing previous employers.
- Follow an interview immediately with a thank-you letter by mail and email, keeping it brief but reiterating your interest.
- Before accepting an offer, make sure you have covered all pertinent questions that you need to know, such as compensation and benefits, and that the company still fits within your own personal goals.


text: Looking to carry a three-game win streak into the 2014 Big South Championship, the Liberty men's basketball team hosted Radford inside the Vines Center for the Flames' senior day, Saturday afternoon. Despite the Flames holding a 12-point lead with 7:25 remaining, a 13-2 Highlanders run turned the tide, leading to an 87-83 decision in favor of Radford. With the defeat, Liberty concludes the season with an 11-20 overall record and a 5-11 mark in conference play. The Flames are the No. 5 seed out of the North Division for the tournament and will take on No. 4 South seed Winthrop, Wednesday, at noon inside The HTC Center. Radford finishes the regular season 20-11 on the season and 10-6 in conference play. The Highlanders will take on No. 6 South seed Presbyterian College, Wednesday at 2 p.m. Liberty concluded the afternoon shooting 50.9 percent (29-of-57), compared to 47.7 percent (31-of-65) for the Highlanders. Each team knocked down eight three-pointers on the night, but Radford held a 40-30 advantage inside the paint. Although Liberty averaged eight turnovers in each of the last three games, the Flames committed 16 turnovers, translating into 19 Radford points. Antwan Burrus led the Flames with 19 points and eight rebounds in his final game at the Vines Center. Three other Liberty players finished in double-digit scoring figures – Tomasz Gielo (16), John Caleb Sanders (14) and Davon Marshall (13). Radford's Javonte Green finished with a game-high 25 points. Ya Ya Anderson followed up with 19 points all coming in the second half, while Rashun Davis chipped in 18 tallies. Prior to the contest, Liberty honored its six seniors – Burrus, JR Coronado, Marshall, Casey Roberts, Sanders and Joel Vander Pol. Liberty jumped out to an 11-6 lead in the early moments, thanks in part to five points from Burrus. Radford countered with five unanswered points, including a Davis layup at 13:22 to knot the contest at 11. The Highlanders led by four after a Green dunk at 9:04. Marshall responded with a three-pointer 27 ticks later to cut the deficit to one. Following a Green free throw, a Sanders layup at 7:39 tied the game again, 24-24. Liberty took a five-point lead with 4:26 remaining thanks to a Gielo three-pointer. With the Flames up by three in the final minute of the half, Marshall swished another trey with 34 ticks left to give Liberty a 40-34 halftime lead. Liberty concluded the first half shooting 57.1 percent (16-of-28), while the Highlanders shot 43.1 percent (14-of-32). Radford edged the Flames in the paint, 22-18, but Liberty held a 12-6 advantage from beyond the three-point line. Green led all players at the half with 16 points. Gielo paced the Flames' offense with 12 tallies during the first 20 minutes. Liberty maintained its lead until a Green layup gave the Highlanders a 43-42 lead at the 16:30 mark. The contest turned into a seesaw battle, with four ties and seven lead changes taking place during a 4:30 span. With the contest tied at 56, Liberty went on an 8-0 run. After two Burrus free throws, Sanders knocked down back-to-back three-pointers from the left corner, giving the Flames a 64-56 lead with 10:40 remaining. Liberty continued to pull away, thanks in part to big dunks by Burrus and Andrew Smith. A Sanders free throw made it a 12-point game, 73-61, with 7:35 left on the clock. The Highlanders countered, going on a 13-2 run during the next 3:47. Radford's burst included two three-pointers from Anderson and another by R.J. Price. Price's trey put the visitors ahead by two at 3:39, 77-75. Radford remained in the lead, taking a five-point advantage in the final 11 seconds. Marshall nailed his third three-pointer of the ball game with six ticks left, but the Flames were forced to foul. Davis sunk two free throws for Radford to seal the 87-83 win.


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Dutchess is a golden Retriever with a smi le guaranteed to warm your heart — an important gift in her line of work. As a therapy dog with the Good Dog Foundation, she is required to stay calm and nurturing in challenging situations. And when a hereditary illness recently claimed her eyesight, her generosity of spirit and signature smile remained firmly intact.
Mark Condon brought Dutchess into his home as a puppy nine years ago, and they have been a loving team ever since. In between his duties as professor of biology at Dutchess Community College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., they volunteer at the Anderson Center for Autism in nearby Staatsburg.
Like any rambunctious pooch, Dutchess loves chasing tennis balls. She never missed one tossed to her, Condon recalls. Then, in 2010, something started to change — she began to miss them. She also started bumping into objects and sometimes appeared to be disoriented. Visits to the vet and ophthalmologist revealed that she had pigmentary uveitis, a genetic disease that generally leads to glaucoma and blindness.
Eye medications slowed the progression, but it was obvious to Condon that after six months of trying everything, her vision was all but gone. Even worse, the pressure on her eyes was causing her pain. After receiving the grim news that surgical removal of both eyes was necessary, he and Dutchess started preparing for the inevitable. "I had some time to get her oriented and teach her new commands such as 'Curb up, curb down' and 'Look out' to alert her to things she might collide with off-leash."
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Fortunately, Dutchess sailed through the operation and was able to go home one day later "with her tail wagging as if nothing had happened," says Condon. Free of pain, her recovery was nothing short of remarkable, but the question remained: could she go back to the therapy work she loved?
"My biggest fear was that the outgoing, gregarious dog I knew would be lost," says Condon. "She loves her work so much, and I knew she would really miss it, but I had to make sure she had the confidence to return. She would be completely blind and still interacting in a place where there might be loud noises. The only way was to try."
Mary Anne Enea is a speech language pathologist at Anderson and had worked with Dutchess and Mark before the surgery. "When Mark first told me she was going to lose her eyes, it broke my heart," says Enea. "Then when he said she was ready to come back to work after only three weeks, I couldn't believe it. [Though] I thought he might have wanted her back this quick for her sake, I knew he would never put her in harm's way." Dutchess surprised everyone by easing right back into her job as if nothing had happened.
Part of a special program initiated by Anderson several years ago, therapy dogs work with patients to break through the wall of autism and help strengthen their communication and social skills. If a patient wants to throw a tennis ball for Dutchess to chase, brush her or give her food or water, they must step outside themselves to communicate that request to Enea or Condon.
Dutchess' inability to see now adds another layer to the interaction. Before, a tennis ball was easy for her to spot and chase. Now, the ball must first be held close for her to smell it, and then thrown. Retrieving the ball is a triumph shared, says Enea. "One of my patients is much more enthusiastic now when she gets the ball. Before, he wasn't cheering for anyone. Now, he is clapping and cheering for her … for someone else." Condon admits he swelled with pride the first few times he took Dutchess back to Anderson. "It was amazing that she had the confidence to trust people she couldn't see to pet her and interact with her."
Rachel McPherson, founder and executive director of the Good Dog Foundation, calls Dutchess and Condon an inspiring therapy-dog team. "Clients and patients take comfort in hearing how Dutchess rebounded from a grim prognosis, and see her as an example of what love and determination can do." Dutchess's remaining senses have become heightened, and the fact that she has overcome her disability with grace is not lost on those she interacts with, says Condon. "Whether you are a dog or person, consider not just what's inside you but what is around you. It is how you fit into the rest of the world that is important. People say to me, 'I feel so bad for her' and I say, please don't. She is as happy as she has ever been in her life. Someone's petting her now, or wants to play with her right now or talk to her. If she was not able to extend her consciousness outside of herself, she would not get that happy. She derives it from how she reacts with others."
The deep bonds of love and trust between Dutchess and Condon have fueled the engine of recovery and allowed her to continue to make a difference in people's lives. "I don't know if I have ever seen a bond like they have," says Enea. "Mark lives for Dutchess. He is so proud of how much she loves her work, and she knows she is safe with him. She is an inspiration."